I am a quantitative ecologist and wildlife biologist who is interested in supporting good decisions in natural resource management. I combine field research, quantitative methods, and structured-decision making skills to understand how landscapes influence wildlife populations and help support value-based wildlife management decisions in an inclusive and transparent framework.

I have a B.S. in Biological Sciences from Ohio University (2011), a Ph.D. in Ecology from Auburn University (2017), and post-doctoral experience from the Alabama and Florida Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units at both Auburn University and the University of Florida. I previously worked for the U.S. Geological Survey at the Fort Collins Science Center, where I built models and tools to support management decisions for wild horse populations in the United States. A key product I developed was PopEquus, a website application that can simulate wild horse populations and help understand trade-offs among management alternatives. I also worked at Conservation Science Partners on a team developing science products to understand population dynamics and support management decisions for Mojave desert tortoises.

In May 2024, I am starting as an Assistant Unit Leader in the Nevada Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at the University of Nevada, Reno. My lab will work with cooperating agencies to coproduce applied decision-support science for wildlife management issues in Nevada and the Great Basin region.

On this site, you can learn about my work interests, where my projects occur, and publications and products that have emerged from my work.

You can contact me at: brian [dot] folt [at] gmail [dot] com.